The Darkness Within
by Cassie James
Summary: Toph desperately longs to see his face. Will she finally get her chance? Toph/Aang. Set three years after Sozin's Comet. I still own nothing...


She'd never minded the darkness until he came along; it was all she'd ever known. It didn't matter that she'd never seen the sunset ignite the sky with a hundred shades of orange, or watched the moon rise, pale and ghostly, in the heavens. She'd always been able to see the important things – like the lies people told, to themselves and to others, the emotions they bottled up inside and the sincerity of their repentance. She liked being able to tell that Suki's heart began hammering every time Snoozles entered the room or that Sparky's slowed down so much when he was meditating that once she'd thought he was dead.

She'd always been able to see things that others couldn't, to know things no one else knew, and once upon a time that had been enough for her. But not anymore. In the three years that had passed since their defeat of Ozai she'd grown so much, both literally and figuratively, and she wanted more from life.

He'd grown too.

He certainly wasn't the jittery twelve year old he'd once been. They were currently in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, the whole group reunited for the anniversary celebration of the end of the war, and she couldn't believe how much he'd changed. She'd been shocked when he'd greeted her, hugged her like the old friend that she was, by how tall he'd grown, how broad and muscled.

She'd also been disappointed. Disappointed she still couldn't see his face; was still none the wiser as to what he looked like. Sure she could tell where he was standing, sense what he was feeling; she'd even practiced controlling her breathing and could make her heart beat perfectly in sync with his own.

But it wasn't the same as being able to _see _him.

She _knew_ what he looked like, of course. She _knew_ that he had tattoos, that he shaved his head, that his eyes were grey. But it just wasn't enough anymore. For the first time ever she felt that something was lacking, like she was missing out.

And it sucked.

With a sigh she leant on the balustrade, blowing her hair out of her useless eyes with a huff. She shifted her feet slightly for a better view and began to 'look' around the veranda. Zuko was standing in one corner handing out tea; she couldn't help but smile at that – clearly being crowned Fire Lord hadn't gone to his head. Sokka and Suki were sat across from her, hands clasped under the tablecloth like shy schoolchildren. Katara was waltzing around the makeshift dance floor with Twinkle Toes; she could hear them laughing from where she stood and it cheered her ever so slightly; even though they hadn't lasted as a couple she was glad they were still friends.

Then her breath caught in her throat as, with a flourish, Aang twirled Katara away, bowed, and made his way over to her.

"I thought you might like to dance," he asked, his voice deeper than it had once been but still as melodious.

She fought back an uncharacteristic blush, determined not to give her feelings away, and snorted derisively. "Nice one Twinkle Toes. Real funny!"

"You, of all people, know I'm not joking," he replied softly, hand extended towards her.

"And you of all people should know I don't dance," she retorted, folding her arms defensively across her chest.

"I see you're still as stubborn as your element," he chuckled. "Stop being a sourpuss and dance with me." She shook her head resolutely. "It's going to be the talk of the town tomorrow... The Avatar turned down by the prettiest girl at the party..."

For the first time she was glad _he _couldn't feel _her_ heartbeat. It was racing, her breath caught in her throat. She fought to stay calm, aloof, but she felt anything but. She punched him playfully on the arm, not trusting her voice enough to speak.

"Ow!" He cried cheerfully, swiftly catching her clenched fist before she could withdraw it and dragging her out onto the dance floor. She struggled and stamped her feet, earth bending in a vain attempt to trip him up. He wasn't the Avatar for nothing, though, and they made it to the centre of the floor.

"You're evil Twinkle Toes. Evil!" She mock fumed. She may be blind but she knew he was grinning and as he took her hands in his own she could've sworn his heart fluttered.

"Just follow my lead."

And they were dancing. He twirled her around the floor like she was lighter than air; dipping and twisting her in time with the music. Her heart was thumping in her ears so hard that it was all she could hear but she didn't care. This was glorious! She was weightless, buoyant and boundless. How had she gone so long without this... freedom?

They began to slow down as the music stopped and a fresh wave of disappointment washed over her. Why did it have to end?

"Are you ok?" Aang asked quietly.

She smiled sadly, her voice barely more than a whisper: "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. You look... Will you take a walk with me?" She could tell he was nervous, though he was trying his damndest to hide it.

"Sure."

They left the veranda and began to walk towards the lower rings of the city. It felt good to have earth beneath her feet again; everything looked sharper, more in focus, the way she imagined it would be when you got a new pair of glasses. He didn't say anything, just slipped his hand into hers and led her through the streets, out onto the plains surrounding Ba Sing Se. She followed him willingly, marvelling at this unexpected turn of events.

"The sunset is beautiful tonight," he finally broke the silence.

"I hear it's supposed to be pretty..." she said wistfully.

"Sorry," Aang said quickly. "You see so much that sometimes I forget... You know..."

"That I'm blind? I wish_ I_ could," she said a little sadly. "There are so many things I wish I could see..."

"What kinds of things?" He asked, still clasping her hand tightly in his own.

"The sun, the moon, the stars overhead... Rain falling, clouds gathering in the sky, birds flying or leaves falling... But most of all, I wish I could see your face..." her voice trailed off with a sigh. He flinched at her last words, both sad and pleasantly surprised.

"_My _face? Of all the beautiful things in this world, you'd most like to see my face?" He was a little awestruck. "I-I never realised."

She shrugged, trying to make light of her confession. "It's no big deal. It's not like it's ever going to happen so why shouldn't the thing I most want to see be you?"

She made to walk away but he held her hand fast, pulling her back to him. She opened her mouth to protest but he pressed a finger to her lips to silence her and with his other hand raised her fingertips to his forehead, tracing them lightly over his arrow tattoo. When he was finished he let his hand drop to his side but her fingers stayed, sliding down to trace the contours of his jaw.

With a deep, shuddery breath, she closed her eyes and brought her free hand slowly to his cheek, which was perfectly smooth and cool under her fingertips. Next she found the delicate, rounded tip of his nose; the pads of her fingers filling in the details for her feet. She brushed upwards, finding thin, arched eyebrows and then outwards to his ears, which stuck out a little. Slowly she was developing a picture in her head, a subtle outline of his features. He was just as perfect as she'd always imagined.

With a sigh she slipped her fingers lower, pausing on the corner of his mouth. She was shaking now, though not entirely sure why. Agonisingly slowly she traced his lips, the flawless cupid's bow, the full lower lip. When she was done she couldn't help but smile.

There, seared onto her eyelids, was her first glimpse of his face. She didn't want to open her eyes in case the image was dispelled but she knew she must. He was watching her expectantly, his heart beating just slightly too fast. Her eyes fluttered open and then, with some trepidation, she closed them again, praying to all the spirits she could think of.

And there he was still, his wonderful face, brightening the darkness within.


End file.
